1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to point of sale devices. More specifically, the present invention relates generally to a processor implemented method and data processing system which enables a point of sale printer to create and use secure network tunnels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Point of sale (POS) is a term that is often used in connection with hardware and software for checkout systems, such as cash registers, optical scanners, magnetic card readers, special terminals, and printers. Reading product tags, updating inventory, and checking credit are some of the operations performed at the point of sale.
Point of sale systems evolved from the mechanical cash registers of the first half of the 20th century. Examples of this type of register include the National Cash Register (NCR) registers operated by a crank and the lever-operated Burroughs registers. These registers recorded data on journal tapes or paper tape and required an extra step to transcribe the information into the retailer's accounting system. The next step in evolution was to move to operation by electricity. An example of this type of register was the National Cash Register Class 5 cash register. In 1973, new registers that were driven by computers were introduced, such as the International Business Machines (IBM) 3653 Store System and the National Cash Register 2150. The year 1973 also brought about the introduction of the UPC/EAN barcode readers on the point of sale systems. In 1986, the point of sale systems became based on personal computer technology with the introduction of the International Business Machines 4683.
During the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, stand-alone credit card devices were developed so credit card processing could be more easily and securely added. These relatively simple devices have evolved in recent years to allow multiple applications, such as a credit card, gift card, age verification, and employee time clock to reside on one device. As of 2005, retail point of sale systems were among the most sophisticated and powerful computer networks in commercial use. However, point of sale networks are frequently vulnerable to malicious attempts to spy for private consumer data such as a credit card, social security, or bank account numbers.